Contrarium Mortem- The Hopeless Mission
by whatevenjust
Summary: Natsu has a mission that he'll stop at nothing to achieve. However, things change and people get hurt. The worst thing? It's his fault, but can he un-do it? NaLu and GaLe!
1. Chapter 1

Hey! This is my first on fan fiction! Hope you guys like it! NALU FOREVER!

Lucy's P.O.V

_Wow, I got amazing sleep last night!_ Lucy thought to herself. _It was just so warm and cozy…wait a minute…_ "NAATTTSSSUUUU!" When she blindly slammed her fist into the pillow beside her she noticed that instead of feeling a mushed Natsu face, the soft pillow greeted her fist. "What?" she said aloud. Just then a hand grabbed her wrist. "Watch where you put that thing Luce" a familiar groggy voice said. She sighed as she turned around to see the messy, salmon colored hair and golden, half open eyes. For some reason, she didn't know why, but she blushed ever so slightly. The second she thought _for God's sake please say he didn't notice_, Natsu gave her that freaking all-knowing, annoying, adorably toothy grin. She growled in annoyance as she yanked her wrist free. "I really wish you'd NOT FREAKING INVADE MY BED EVERY MORNING!" Natsu replied with the same grin on his face "Sorry Lucy, but I can't help it! You're bed's just so comfy!" Usually she'd "Lucy kick" him into next week, but he'd caught her off guard. "Well if you like it so much GET YOUR OOOOWWNN" she replied hot headedly. Suddenly he couldn't contain it anymore and went into a roaring laughter. "HEY! What's so funny!" the blonde demanded. "Oh nothing…" The invading pyro responded, still wiping tears from his eyes. "Well I'll let you get ready, but make it quick! I have a job picked out for us that you'll love!" _Funny how whenever he says that it's always the exact opposite of what I'd love. _She silently said to herself.

Natsu's P.O.V

As Natsu sat cross legged outside Lucy's door, he drowned himself in thought. _What if she doesn't go for it? Or what if she finds out why the rest of their team (_Gray, Erza, Happy, Carla, and Wendy) _said they couldn't go on the mission? What if she noticed that he was on his own little mission? No way, Lucy's way too naïve to figure it out… right?_ The sound of a door behind him creaking open made his train of thought fade. He attempted to dash behind a bush and away from her door before she saw him so that he wouldn't look too desperate. It seemed he'd made a clean escapeso, he just waited for Lucy to pass the bush he was behind, and then he'd make a break for it. Right when Lucy passed the bush he was crouched behind by ten steps, he felt it was safe to come out of hiding. Just then Lucy turned around and Natsu practically flew back behind the bush. Too late. "Natsu…? What are you doing…?" Lucy asked. As he silently cursed himself for not picking a better hiding spot, he rose from behind the bush. "Uhhhhh… I was gonna try to scare you… guess I'm not very stealthy…" He stupidly responded while awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. _Really, "not very stealthy"_ Natsu cursed himself in his head for the second time. He waited in silence refusing to make eye contact with a certain blonde. Eventually, he couldn't stand the lack of talking for another second and said a bit too loudly "Well let's just head to the guild now…" He strode past Lucy and when he noticed Lucy wasn't following him, he almost turned around when, thanks to his impeccable hearing, he heard Lucy mumble something that sounded like "Guess you're not." As Lucy and Natsu walked side by side to the guild, he sneaked a look in her direction. Of course, she immediately noticed and made eye contact with him for a second. "What?" she curiously asked. _Holy crap! Nothing gets past her!_ He thought. He pretended to not know what she was talking about. "What what?" Natsu responded. He heard Lucy almost inaudibly growl "Never mind."

"Here it is Luce!" He exclaimed while pointing at a certain request on the board. "hmmm… Gantashi Mountain… retrieve staff…" while Lucy continued to skim the "request", Natsu decided to throw a warning glare at the rest of the team, telling them with looks to remember what he'd planned. Wendy, Carla, and Erza all gave a small nod. Gray just smirked and tried to conceal laughter. Just then Lucy interrupted me and the rest of our team's silent conversation. "Sounds good! Only, isn't the reward a little low? I mean 49,000 jewel divided between 7 people's only 7,000 jewel a piece!" "Well…umm…" I started. Just then Erza came to the rescue. "Actually, I won't able to join you all this time, I have a…photo shoot tomorrow." Erza matter-of-factly stated. "Us either" Happy, Carla, Wendy, and Gray all said in unison. _Way, way, _way_ too freaking obvious._ Natsu thought. "Oh…so basically just me and Natsu are going on the job?" Lucy asked unsurely. Right when Happy was about to say something that probably would've given everything away, Levy appeared beside Lucy and of course said: "Can I tag along?" _Please say no Lucy, please._ Denying Natsu's internal wishes Lucy cheerfully replied. "Sure thing, girl! This is gonna be so much fun!" _Crap things are really going downhill now._ Just then, Gajeel walked up to the three of them. _Wow, I see where this is going._ "I better come along too, Levy won't last 5 minutes without me…" Gajeel stated. "Oh please! I can handle this myself!" Levy responded angrily, yet still blushing a bit. "Whatever half-pipe, I need some money too, so I'm coming whether you like it or not." Gajeel answered. Natsu began cursing in his mind again. _Great, just great, now we're up to 4 people!_ He was considering rejecting them, but when he imagined Lucy scolding him for being rude, he quickly decided against THAT option. Sometimes Lucy can be as scary as Erza! "Well let's get going soon, I'm getting bored." Natsu stated and added a fake yawn at the end for effect. _Well, my mission just got that much harder._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya People! Here's a new chapter! Again, I'm kind of new at this so some reviews on something I could improve on would be amazing! Thanks! Anyways here we go! **

3rd. P.O.V

So, Gajeel, Levy, Natsu, and Lucy made their way to the train station. "THERE'S KNOW WAY! I'm _NOT_ RIDING THAT TRAIN!" Natsu complained. "Fine, you don't have to if you don't want to." Lucy replied coolly. He sighed in relief. "…really?" Natsu asked, a little unsure of how to take this. "Really! I totally understand if you'd rather walk the 89 miles!" Lucy responded joyfully with noticeable humor in her voice. "You suck." He mumbled in response. _Dang it! I really hate looking like a weakling in front of the other guild members! _Natsu thought to himself. _Especially Gajeel and Lucy! They never let me hear the end of it._

"Gaaaaaaaaa" The great, pink haired salamander moaned. Natsu's head rested on Lucy's lap. _This is so freaking awkward… _Natsu thought. _Is it actually possible that she could actually not notice that it was awkward!_ Lucy's thoughts: _I can't believe i can actually see him blushing through the blue-green colored tint to his face when he's in vehicles. He's such a dork… yet still…_ Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the train coming to an abrupt stop. Natsu was immediately revived and shouted "SWEET FREEDOM!" While hoofing it out of the train. Lucy smirked and rolled her eyes at the him. _Like I said, a complete dork. _

Lucy's P.O.V

The frigid air made me shiver. I knew when I accepted this job it'd be in the mountains, but we weren't even in the actual mountain yet! This was _not _going to be fun… but i really need the rent money, so i was gonna have to just suck it up. Sometimes I wish I was immune to cold too… I mean Gray and Natsu _both_ don't get cold! However, although Gray is immune to the cold, he still is freezing to the touch. Whereas Natsu was just always warm, it's funny how that kind of describes his personality too… "Whatcha thinkin about, Luce?" Natsu asked questioningly. "Wa?... OH… um… nothing." I responded awkwardly. He smirked in return. "That's why you've got that weird grin on your face right?" I sighed and answered in a bored tone. "What are you talking about Natsu?" He through me his own little sigh too while shaking his head. "Never mind." As my teeth began to chatter i decided to summon good ole' Horologium. "Open! Gate of the clock, Horologium!" Suddenly, I was inside a surprisingly roomy wooden and glass case. The air around me instantly grew warmer. "Why do I always go on the jobs where it's cold! Lucy complained quite overwhelmingly." The spirit recited. Horologium may not be the best choice for combat, but I love him all the same. Just like all my spirits, I'd love them like family even if all of them were weak. "Oh come on! We're gonna have fun whether its cold or 100 degrees! Just you wait and see!" Natsu told me cheerfully. I sighed, even though Natsu thinks everything is gonna be fun, it's still comforting to know that one of us will enjoy this. We continued to walk down the icy path until we saw a beautiful mansion about 100 yards ahead. It had a golden gate in front of it with the letter "M" formed in the middle. It was stunning. As I side glanced to see the others reaction i gave a slight smile to see how close Gajeel and Levy were standing. _Those to are so adorable! I really don't see why they insist they don't like each other. _

Natsu's P.O.V

"I-I would like to thank you f-f-for accepting the job on the request board." The horribly annoying man stuttered. "Anything to help you find your… ummm… staff and return it to you!" Lucy said sweetly, a bit of confusion in her voice as to why someone would pay so much money to get a staff back... and why he lost it in Gantashi Mountain. The nervous man gave a small laugh "W-well it's actually a magic staff, you see. Long s-story short, if it fell into the wrong h-hands it would be just terrible!" "Oh! Well either way we're more than happy to help you out! Right, Natsu?" Lucy gave me a look when she said this that said 'uh say something!' I didn't notice until just then that I hadn't said anything the entire time. "O-oh um yeah!" I responded stupidly, following the pattern of the nervous guy in front of us. Just for extra effect I added a thumbs up. "Well we should really get going now, nice to meet you!" Lucy said kindly, totally unlike how she talks to me. Then, Lucy grabbed my hand and dragged me out, probably because a buffet was just set up and i could smell it with my dragon nose like it was being waved in front of my face. "You just ate like 5 minutes ago!" Lucy chided me. "No way! It was at least an hour!" She sighed. "Whatever." When she released me from her steely grip the blond, and I made our way up the mountain, Gajeel and Levy trailing behind. I walked my famous walk, hands thrown behind my head casually, and stole a glance at Lucy once or twice. _This plan's going downhill… plus this is just awkward… she's not even talking to me!_

Lucy's P.O.V

_This is so awkward. He's not even talking to me!_ Just then as if reading my mind, Natsu spoke up. "Hey Lucy?" "Yeah?" He gave me one of his cheesy grins and said, "thanks for coming with me… I know you hate the cold." This caught me off guard. "Don't mention it! After all I needed the rent money…" _Especially since, no thanks to you Mr. Incinerate, the last job I took with you I ended up having to pay instead of getting paid._ I was going to say this but I decided to keep my mouth shut. He was obviously really glad i came along with him I'd hate to ruin that. "So why'd you wanna go on this particular mission so bad anyways? It doesn't look like it's gonna involve fighting… we all know how much you love that." He just shrugged and continued trudging along. _I try to talk to him and he just SHRUGS?! I mean I don't really know what exactly I-_ My thoughts were interrupted by Natsu throwing his arm in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. He lifted his nose up in there air and did his famous 'sniff the air' pose. Suddenly, pain exploded in my shoulder and i spun around, keys in hand. Levy and Gajeel stood there awkwardly, "Sorry Lucy, you just stopped so suddenly!" Levy says with an apologetic smile. I gave a small laugh. "You scared me!" I tell her with a small grin on my face that said ' don't worry about it'. Then, i remembered Natsu, sniffing the air like he always does when there's danger. "What's happening Natsu?" I asked frantically. "Follow me!" And just like that the idiot sprinted away. "NATSU! WAIT UP!" We all shouted in unison. We ran for about five minutes, still with no site of the vanishing pinkette. _I'm gonna kill him when we find him._ Just then we heard "NO WAY!" It was Natsu. I then noticed a small hut in the distance. I got my determined face on, "This way guys!" I kicked the door open and what I saw was so unexpected I about toppled over. Right there, inside the door I just knocked down, were two men. One, an old man that looked about as kind as they get, the other, Natsu, drooling over a homemade pie. "ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS!" "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE IN BIG TROUBLE!" Behind me, an angry Levy and Gajeel stood glaring. He held his hands up in defence. "Don't get your panties in a wad! I just smelled food earlier and my instincts told me to come as fast as i could, okay?" My glare hardened. There were no words between the two of us, just a suddenly terrified Natsu, and a glaring me. _Wow, I guess I can be pretty scary… Look out Fairy Tail! I can scare the Fire Dragon Slayer!_ I thought. I decided to cut the clown a break and turned to the nice looking old man. "Thanks for feeding him, but we really should be going…" Natsu sweatdropped when I said this. "Oh no, please stay for a meal! I have plenty of food and no one to give it to! It's be my pleasure!" He told me. I was about to refuse, but when I looked into his eyes, his kind, kind eyes, I decided i'd hate to let the poor guy down. "W-well I guess one meal wouldn't hurt…" "YAY!" Natsu shouted. I shot him a glare that said. 'This doesn't mean you're off the hook' and with that, we all ate until we couldn't stuff another thing into our mouths. I actually was gonna stop sooner, but I really wanted the man, apparently named Haruhi, to know that we appreciated his hospitality. The weird part was though, I'd completely lost track of time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyo! So so so so so sorry this one took so long! I've just been viciously attacked by **

**homework for the past month! If anybody has any suggestions or comments whatsoever **

**PLEASE don't hesitate to leave a review! If I can get a few people to review I will love **

**you guys forever! XD. Anyways here's my new chapter hope you guys love it, btw I know **

**the NALUness isn't as much as some of you guys might like but be patient my young **

**padawans… it's a comin' ;) **

**Btw… I haven't said yet… I don't own Fairy Tail, just the OC's. I just forgot cause it's kinda obvious. Dude… I wish I owned Fairy Tail that'd be freaking awesome… hahaha anyways here I go!**

Lucy's P.O.V

Pain was all that was evident about what was happening. Bursting, flaming, overpowering pain that consumed all of my emotions. Try as I might, I couldn't manage to open my eyes, all I could manage was a quite, senseless word.

"...Naaatttssuuu….?"

I don't even know why I said his name, maybe I just thought that if he was here too, we must be safe. Despite my numbness, slowly, painstakingly, my senses came back to me. I could now not only feel pain, but raw and penetrating iciness. I had to get up, if not that, at least move, just so that I know that i'm still alive and not halfway dead. I gathered every ounce of strength I could until finally, my hand twitched. _Well that fixed everything_. I sarcastically said in my head.

"Luuucy?"

_Wait… was that… Natsu?_ Just to be sure I called again.

"Natsu?"

"Whaa happen?"

I just now realized how weak his voice was. It was unsettling to hear him sounding weak, even if he was ever in pain he always kept his tough guy guard up. He must be in even more pain than I am. I used up all my strength on saying his freaking name, so I had none left to respond to him. I heard the sound of shuffling in snow. _Oooh, that's why i'm so cold, huh?_ Suddenly warmth wrapped around me as I was lifted off the ground. Natsu was carrying me. I wanted to protest, 'Natsu, you don't have enough strength to even walk let alone carry me!', but like before I found myself unable to speak. So, I figured I might as well enjoy it while I couldn't stop it and curled into a tight ball in his arms. I let my hand rest on his bare chest. It was so impossible that he could actually be this warm when it was probably -15 degrees out here! However, when I released how awkward it was that I just freaking PUT MY HAND ON HIS CHEST, I as discreetly as possible let my hand slip away, pretending that I was sleeping and had no control over myself. I don't know exactly where I got the strength to move my hand from, probably just embarrassment though. His warm hand grabbed mine and put it right back where i'd put it a second ago, even though I was half out of it, I probably still blushed at the awkward situation. _Why'd he just do that…?_

I was placed gently onto a section of the ground where the snow had been blocked from getting on the ground, probably by a tree. As a piece of hair fell into my face, I felt someone brush it out of my face carefully.

"I'll be right back, Luce."

I heard Natsu whisper shakily. _Wait a minute… that means he's known I was awake the whole time… meaning he knows I purposely put my hand on his chest. Great, another thing he can mock me for, for an eternity._

**Natsu's P.O.V**

I had to find Gajeel and Levy as soon as possible or Lucy would throw a fit when she fully woke up. The only problem was, I had no idea where they were. Heck, I have no idea where _Lucy and I_ even are. Last thing I remember, the four of us were in that old man's house eating to our hearts content. Then, I woke up, completely drained of magic power, everything hurting as if I was in Hell, and the only person I could find was a beaten Lucy in tattered clothes. I couldn't stand to see her like that, she looked like she'd gotten the worst of it. In that moment I would have rather been in her place than to see her like that. As my mind was racing with thoughts, I spotted something orange sticking out of an especially big mound of snow. _It must be Levy, and Gajeel if i'm lucky and don't have to search anymore after this. _I sprinted towards the mound as I remembered how Levy always wore an _orange dress._

I began viciously throwing snow away from the mound. More and more freaking snow is all that came. "I don't have time for this!" I said aloud, and without another thought used magic. "ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" Fire billowed out of my mouth in a thick stream. The snow began to melt quickly, as I stood back and admired my handy work. Before another minute passed, a passed out Gajeel and Levy lay in a puddle of over heated water. _Oopsy… next time I won't do the fire dragon roar maybe…_ I walked towards the two shivering forms on the ground. _Please, please, PLEASE don't be dead!_ I thought, of course only making myself only more nervous. _Wait a minute… duuuuhh… they aren't dead cause they were shivering just a second ago! _This thought cheered me up, although there was definitely some serious injuries, for the time being alive was good enough. I knelt down in the hot water to get a closer look. _Crap, it's worse than I thought. _

The water around each of them was turning red from blood, not to mention each of their lips were blue. I took time to examine each one to make sure they really were ok. The end result was that although each of them were severely injured, they'd be ok with time to heal and rest. At this, a breathed a sigh of relief and picked Levy up and threw her over my shoulder. There was no use just sitting here, if Lucy wakes up and nobody's there she'd worry. I was gonna have to carry them each separately. Levy was no problem considering she weighed about 10 freaking pounds, but Gajeel? He was about double my height, and i'm not even short. He probably weighs like 600 pounds or something! _OK, so math isn't my strong suit…_

"Welp, only one way to do this! I'm gonna have to burn Gajeel until he weighs less" I announced aloud. As I ignited my hand in flame, another hand reached out and grabbed my arm weakly.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" A ragged female voice asked me so quietly it was almost a whisper. I turned around fiercely, only to find myself face to face with a certain mage.

"Lucy! You're awake!"

"You've gotta be kidding me Natsu. Were you really about to kill Gajeel so that he'd way less. 

"Waaa? No! He's a tough guy he would've been fine!" 

She laughed feebly. _How can she be this beaten up and still laugh?_ I thought to myself. 

"I don't understand what exactly you're saying, Natsu."

_Did I just say that out loud? Crap!_

"...Yeah… you did, and you're still doing it…" She replied with caution.

"Are you Ok Natsu? You're acting really weird…" 

"Yeah! I'm… uhh fine… but I could've sworn I didn't say that stuff out loud…" 

"Whatever, just how bad is it?"

She was talking about our two nakamas on the ground behind us. _This means she doesn't know how bad it is yet. Good, I need to break it to be the one to break it to her._

"Break what to me?" She asked nervously

"HOLY-"

"Natsu… are you sure you're ok… you keep saying stuff loud and clear, then your so shocked when you find out I hear you… why don't you go back to where you left me? I found some berries that, according to the birds, aren't poisonous. You obviously need some rest."

"What? Sit back and let a girl do more heavy lifting without me? No thanks!" I replied, trying to convince her I wasn't in any pain at all. The truth was though, the walk here to find Gajeel and Levy took a major toll on my already injured body. Still, _like hell_ I was about to admit that to her.

"Open! Gate of the lion, Loke!"

"Ummm… Luce you might not wanna…"

What I expected to see was Loke appearing before us, probably handing Lucy a rose and "describing her beauty" with a bunch of words he didn't understand. He expected to hear the 'Ding-dong' meaning a celestial spirit had just arrived. However, what he saw confused him without trouble. With a strange noise like "poof"… except more eerie... a strange, gray form appeared crumpled into a crouching position. Whether this thing was human or not, something was off about it.

"Sooo... we gonna poke it or what?"

"Natsu! This thing could eat us... o-o-or rob us o-or... WHATEVER! And you really think our best move is to POKE IT?!"

Lucy exclaimed, followed by a vicious shaking by my shoulders. _What happened to injured Lucy? _I thought inwardly pouting. Behind me, I heard a familiar voice say:

"I think I liked quiet Lucy better..."

**Lucy's P.O.V**

"Waa... HAPPY?!"

Natsu yelled with excitement, apparently completely forgetting about the task at hand, a slimeball that might possibly EAT US! _But no worries or anything you can just talk to your cat first. _I sarcastically thought.

"Natsu! Forget the cat and kill this thing!"

"Aww, but it's so cute!"

"Aye!" agreed the little flying menion.

"Natsu!" I broke back into the conversation.

Somewhere in between our little fight kill or keep as a pet, I agreed to let him see if this thing was dangerous.

"Please be careful Natsu!" I hadn't noticed the worry in my voice, _what if this is the way he's gonna die? That would be such a worthless way to die! "_Just please...be careful..." I whispered as to not let him hear me.

"She's in looovvveee!" Happy yelled right next to my ear.

"SHUT UP CAT!" After giving Happy a good ol' "Lucy kick" sending him flying, I turned my attention back over to Natsu sitting there... freaking petting the slimeball. The weirdest part was, I thought I could here that _thing_ purring! That still didn't explain why it showed up when I tried to summon Loke.

"Huh, what do you know..."

"Shall I punish him for you, princess?

"Wha-? Virgo? What are you doing here? Did you come on your own magic cause I'm afraid mine's all used up!"

"Yes I'm sorry, is it punishment time? She asked with waaay to much joy in her voice.

"N-no I'm glad you came- cause maybe you can tell me why that thing over there just came... seemingly from the spirit world when I tried to summon Loke?"

"Ah yes, that's simple, Loke was out on a date so he asked Taurus to go for him, but Tarus was too busy fawning over some spirit, so Taurus asked me to fill in but I was busy so I sent my pet fluffer to get the job done. Then I decided to come anyways because I figured you might need a little extra help, princess."

"Ok... questions, one: How is that simple in any form or shape? And, Fluffer? That thing's your PET!?"

"Technically, that's 3 questions but yes to the last two." She answered with her usual monotone voice. _How she considers that slimy thing fluffy the world may never know. _I thought disconcertingly.

After I sent Virgo and her little demotic pet to go home because I realized they wouldn't be of much use to me, I tried summoning Taurus despite what Virgo said. I figured maybe he was done now or something. I was wrong on that. Apparently it takes a looong time for a perv to put pictures on a wall. Suddenly, I realized it had been awfully quiet since I started talking to Virgo... something was off. I turned around to see... NO ONE?! Levy, Gajeel, Natsu AND happy had all vanished without a trace! If this was anyone other than Natsu, I'd have worried. However, since this _is _Natsu we're talking about, I decided on not worrying. I made my way back to where He'd left me under the tree, somewhat slowly. I would've taken my dear old time, but something had me slightly scared about what I would find when I made my way back.

When I finally found where I had originally been I found Gajeel and Levy beside a fire the size of a small house. _Why does he always have to over do everything? _I thought to myself. When I walked to the other side of the fire, I saw none other than the fire mage and his cat roasting fish over the fire. What really surprised me was that... well Natsu was _cooking. _

"Hey! About time you found us!" Natsu said with corny smile. I decided last minute to put my mad face on.

"Natsu! I could've been lost for good! You can't just go parading off along with two unconscious people dragging behind you and leave me to find you guys! Also... how did you even get them both?!"

"Well in the time that you were trying to summon Loke and Tarus, whatever the reason we were knocked out for wore off, so I took Gajeel and Happy took Levy." he replied matter-of-factly.

At that I found reason to let him off the hook for ditching me in the snow.

"H-hey what did happen to us?" I asked him tentatively.

With a shrug he responded, "I dunno, last I remember we were pigging out at that old guys house, then I woke up in lots of pain and found you."

"Ugghhh, that codger drugged us!" I replied with fire in my voice. **(A codger is basically a male hag, I had to look up a word that resembled a hag lol.)**

"WHAT?! Come'on Luce we're gonna go kill the guy!" Natsu yelled as bellowing flames wrapped around his fists.

"Well that won't do much good now will it?" A sweet voice behind me asked Natsu, pain obvious even though she tried to hide it.

"Levy-chan! You're awake!" I replied happily.

"Sure am! Only... what happened Lu-chan?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain over dinner! Natsu and Happy actually cooked!

**Natsu's P.O.V**

I ate, and I ate, and I ate. It sure was nice that this body could eat this much without getting either full or fat! However, while I was enjoying myself, I really did eventually need to get down to business or Master Orochi would not be happy. For now though, the best I can do is keep on pretending. As I reached down to pick up another roasted fish, I accidentally let a but of water drip out of my finger tips. _Crap_, I looked back and forth discreetly between Lucy, Levy and the cat named "Happy", Good, they didn't see anything. If they were to discover my true identity so early in the game that would ruin the whole plan! I had to keep hiding in Natsu Dragneels body until my mission was complete. _This is not going to be easy._ I thought to myself.

**Well? What do you guys think? The ending mysterious enough for ya? ;)**

**Anyways if you guys have any opinion on it it'd be awesome if you left a review! (good or bad, after all I can't improve without you guys!) See you guys soon with chapter 4! BAIII! 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**...Umm...h...hi Nakama! *hides behind laptop* So I know I've been updating like...reeeaallyy late lately but it's just that I literally have SO much homework a...and with the holidays and all... I'm reeaallyy sorry guys! I always seem to lose track of time and before I know it it's been at least a month since I updated! Anyways, I decided to change the way I do things. I'm gonna try to start updating once a week but my chapters are gonna be shorter. I reeaallyy wish I could update once a week and keep the chapters the same length but I seriously can't! DX I TOWY! **

**But anyways getting past me being a baka... I want to thank all of my little lovelys who've been reviewing! I appreciate all reviews whether good or bad...but if you guys do decide to leave a bad one...try and keep it as constructive criticism please? Sorry if my story sucks lol I'm new at writing XD. Not that anybody's left any bad review yet but just thought I'd point out I'd LOVE to hear what all you guys think whether it's ways my writing could improve or just praise (although I'm pretty sure I like praise better... hahah but who wouldn't?) Anyways hope you guys love this chapter! I know you guys are like STOP IT WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE NATSU NOT NATSU?! And I feel you... I really do... but be patient my young padawans... for the truth will soon be revealed. (I'm gonna leave you guys on that mysterious note now... Love my readers! *despite the low number... XD)**

Lucy's P.O.V

** After I finished my charcoal fish (Natsu got impatient) I decided to head off to get some sleep. Honestly I wasn't tired at all, I just felt like I should be. After all I was near death earlier that day, but for some reason I felt fine now… it was actually kind of unsettling. I mean I'd healed like Wendy fast, and that's really saying something considering she has healing magic and all. Just a few hours ago I was in more physical pain than I've ever been before. "Whatever, I'm probably just over-reacting." I told myself aloud. I found a thick tree with soft dry moss all around the trunk. It was about 5 meters away from where Natsu was going to sleep; I decided that maybe if I slept far enough away I maybe wouldn't wake up with him curled up next to me for once. At that, I smirked to myself. Wait...why am I smirking?! I hate it when he does that! I thought to myself. Brushing my realization aside, I laid my head down on the bluish-green moss and closed my eyes. Of course, ignoring the fact yet again, that I wasn't even close to tired. "G'night Natsu!" I called over to him. "Night!" He yelled in reply. Weird. I thought while shaking my head humorously. Usually he'd try and think of any excuse for me to not go to sleep yet.

Sleep. Like usual it failed me miserably. Something was especially hard about sleeping tonight though. It was probably due to the fact that it was like 40 degrees and there was melting snow everywhere I turned. However, there was something else I that just didn't feel right, that I couldn't quite put my finger on. One thing I know though, is that whenever I have this feeling I'm almost always right. I sighed shakily *I'm sure it's nothing...yeah nothing* I reassured myself. "_Wait... even if there is something off, as long as a certain dragon slayer's around I won't be hurt!'_ At that thought I relaxed and excruciatingly slowly drifted off into, what I thought would be a peaceful dream... but of course I never get off the hook that easy.

"NO STOP! DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

I heard the familiar voice screech. While it was familiar, I couldn't tell who it was yet, due to the fact that it was pitch black. Wait no, pitch black is an understatement. I've never been seen anything that could be so lacking in any form of light. I thought there was no way absolutely no light could get darker until now. Complete and utter blindness constricted me while the voice seemed to scream from everywhere all at once. And...it was...absolutely...a whole new level of...horrendous "HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN ON DOING THIS?!" The voice shrieked. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled back to the mysterious being. "ANSWER ME!" It howled. Before I could yell back that I had just answered who I guessed was a he, it occurred to me that he maybe wasn't talking to me. The way he sounded so... everywhere and not angled at me, made me wonder that. My thoughts where interrupted by an explosion of flames that made me feel like I was flying through the air, erupted from right in front of me. Just like before when I'd never seen such intense darkness, I saw light so blinding it rattled my insides and made me feel like my brain was gelatinous goo. When I realized my mouth was hanging open I noticed I was screaming, even though I heard nothing. Struggling to move. But failing. No, not completely failing. It was as if I were moving through molasses. But it was still moving technically. As the blazing orangey-yellow light began to fade I saw a flicker of color within the flames. I caught a brief glimpse of what looked like...no... it couldn't be... pink spiky hair? That would mean... _Natsu._

_"Nastu's" P.O.V_

All night I had heard the pink haired idiot screaming in my...well if I'm being technical... *his* head. It was honestly extremely unsettling. If Master Oruchi knew that this "Natsu" guy was actually powerful enough for me to hear his voice even though I had already gained control of his body, he'd probably call it off. Well... I hope he would... no, I can't tell him. One more incomplete mission and I'd be kicked out of Dragon Soul, and I couldn't afford that. This was going to be hard though. _This guy sure is persistent._ I thought to myself while moaning. All his screeching had kept me up the entire freaking night so in return, I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. I sighed and decided I should start on breakfast, he seemed like the kinda guy who would at least try to make breakfast for the blonde, even though he'd probably scorch it either way. "This'll be easy." I reassured myself. "After all since I'm in his body I have all his magic abilities plus my own." The sun had risen about an hour earlier so the air was frigid, but somehow I didn't even feel a little cold. I set out into the woods probably 10 meters away to look for some game.

After about an hour and a half, I came running out from the woods panting. I was holding 3 dead, white rabbits, and a bunch of small branches. Throwing some wood into a pile I reached my hand forward to ignite the branches. _OK, it may be hard to master dragon slayer magic but surly I can light this little fire, right?_ I thought to myself. Well, I was wrong. When trying to send a small spark into the wood, I had an over-powering flash of light send me flying backwards. Somehow I was fine and stood up facing the way I'd fallen which was away from my fire. Brushing myself off, I froze. _Crap,_ I smelled burning, lots of it. So much my eyes were beginning to sting violently from the smoke. "_C_ra_p, crap, crap"_ I repeated over and over in my head as I whipped around to see at least 10 trees in the woods already engulfed in flames; the number of trees on fire rapidly growing. Racing forward, I had no choice but to use my water magic to kill the flames. Mountains of water streamed from every inch of my body, with pressure so fierce it sent 2 huge oaks crashing down to the ground. Slowly, I let the water bursting from me come to a halt. Breathing heavily, I fell to the ground in exhaustion._ I always just have to over do it don't I? _Laughing lightly at my stupidity, I became to drag myself into a standing position. I was nearly upright when I heard something. _No... no no no no no!_ The sound of the most ferocious, vicious beast roaring at it's foe would never stop me in my tracks as efficiently as this current sound had. This most terrifying sound: A demanding, female voice from directly behind me asking me through gritted teeth, _"Who. The. Hell. Are. You."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Heeeyyy guys! I know this is a little later than promised but I finished it! As I said last time I decided rather than being suuppeerrr mean to you guys and taking forever to update, I'm gonna write a little shorter chapters than usual and update a lot quicker! Also… so I'm sure you guys remembered that Levy and Gajeel were still in the story… yeah well I sorta didn't. DX I have no earthly idea how I could possibly forget something like that! I SOWY! Only I would do that… ;) but I added some of the 2 in this chapter so please don't kill meee! By the way, if you guys notice a sudden grammar improvement I owe it all to my beta reader Icekat-Druid! Thanks so much! I suck so much at grammar! Anyways hope you guys liikkkkeee itttttt! (Yes, I'm quoting Happy XD) **

Lucy's P.O.V

My hand was shaking fiercely. I held my whip in one hand and had Loke's key squeezed shut in my other. There was a long pause from "Natsu" before he slowly turned around with a big smile on his face. "What're you talkin' about Luce?" He asked, attempting to keep Natsu's character. "_Don't_ call me that." I replied with as much venom I could possibly exert from my voice. "And don't make me ask you again. Who. Are. You." _Maybe I'm just overthinking it... maybe it's just Natsu. After all he always is finding out new strengths he never knows he had._ As much as I would love to believe that... I know it's not true. Sure, Natsu found out he could use lightning to his advantage, but lightning _isn't_ water. There was absolutely no way this was the real Natsu. But how could he look identical to Natsu? What kind of dark magic could possibly make someone look exactly like another? Maybe he's a shape-shifter? No, I know exactly what's happening. I've seen it happen before. Someone has taken control of Natsu's body. I was on the brink of tears. How long has he been like this? How many times did I think to myself "somethings not right about him" and how many times did I actually try to see if something was up? Absolutely zero. "Stop it, you can think about this later, work on the task at hand." I told myself. There was such a long silence I was surprised when... whoever it was, decided to speak up. "I'm so sorry, but I can't tell you that, believe me though I want to."

He/she said, sounding genuinely upset about the whole situation. I was so upset I was almost gnashing my teeth.

"How can you _not_ tell me, exactly?" I spat.

"You don't get it... I really didn't wanna use this guys body, but I didn't have a choice! My master has done so much for me, I don't want to to let him down! He's the only person who still loves me after all I've done!" The impostor replied.

Taken aback I responded slightly less venomously. "If this guy actually loved you like you obviously think he does, he wouldn't make you earn it by doing wrongs." I started to almost feel a little bad for "Natsu". Then, I saw a tear begin to form at the corner of his eye. _Natsu's _eye.

"Alright the pity party's over, I don't wanna hurt you but I will unless you let Natsu go NOW." I retorted, abandoning any sympathy I began to feel for him. He obviously was close to giving in, yet all he did was stand there visibly uncomfortable. I just couldn't take it anymore. There he was, standing there in NATSU'S body making expressions with NATSU'S face, and I wasn't about to sit here and take it any longer. I raised my hand with the whip and just barely slashed his leg, just enough to make him fall and scuff up his leg a little. Once the guy leaves Natsu, it'll be me that did that to him, so I didn't wanna go too far. "Ok! Ok!" He replied frantically, he was weaker than I though. Tears gushed out as a silhouette began to pull out of Natsu's chest. Wisps of white rushed up into the air and as it started settling on the ground, it slowly built up to form him. No, not him, _her. _

She was beautiful, silver hair cascaded over her shoulder and startlingly green eyes sparkled with her tears. Her eyelashes were extremely long and feathery. *not* what I was expecting. I was expecting either an evil hag-like lady or a dude. _Not_ some gorgeous girl probably around my age. I stared at her, at a loss for words then down at Natsu's unmoving body. "If he's dead so help me God I'm gonna-" I stared when she interrupted, wiping tears out of her mossy green eyes. "He's not, just unconscious, I promise. I made sure he was for the process of me leaving him, it's extremely painful when conscious." Just to be sure I put my ear to his chest. There was a heartbeat. I let out a long breath I didn't know I was holding. Just then I heard a familiar voice call my name as well as 2 sets of feet racing toward me. "Lu-chan!" "What happened to Natsu?! Who's that girl?! Why is the ground all wet?!" Words rushed out Levy's mouth in panic. "I could ask the same question." I bitterly said glaring pointedly toward the crying girl. Gajeel came strolling towards the scene then acting like nothing was even a little unusual. "What'd I miss?" He said without a care in the world. "No seriously Lu-chan! What the heck happened here! Is Natsu okay?!" Levy asked alarmed. I couldn't think straight. Seeing Natsu out cold with barely a heartbeat was killing me, but I had to stop thinking about that. "Gajeel, Levy, I'll explain later. First, Levy you help Natsu." Then I pointed to the girl. "Gajeel, take care of her." I said in a monotone voice because I was afraid if I showed any emotion at all, I was gonna break. "You got it." Gajeel answered dully. "Wait, don't hurt her too bad, I need to talk to her later." I said.

Gajeel's P.O.V

Then, all hell broke loose. Well, at least for a couple seconds. To my disappointment, the girl didn't even put up a fight, she just stood there. I got in a good iron dragon punch, but when she still just stood there, crying and all that crap, I couldn't bring myself to do anything else to her. The weird thing was, she didn't even get knocked out from getting punched in the face with _iron_. I mean, sure _I'm_ tough enough to take iron to the face, but this girl looks frail and weak. It looked like she was more powerful than she was putting on. I grabbed the thick vines that were everywhere on the ground considering all the water that came out of no where and in the process of melting all the remaining snow that kept lingering, managed to wash up all kinds of things from the woods back there. Wrapping her wrist and feet together, I dragged her through the mud and plopped her down at Lucy's feet. Lucy didn't even look up, she just sat there watching Levy patch up Natsu. Her eyes were glassy and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. Opening my mouth, I almost tried to say something to cheer her up but when I was at a loss for words like usual, I just shoved my hands in my pocket and made my way over to Levy. "So what's the deal, Shrimp?" I asked Levy plainly. Looking up at me, she shook her head. "No idea, I know just as much as you do. I tried talking to her, but nothing got through." There was a long silence. "Who _is _that girl?" I shrugged at her question. "Hey can you give me a hand?" She asked, obviously ready to change the subject. "Just hold this right here until I tie it up." I obeyed, choosing to ignore the fact that instead of bandages, she was using a leaf and some vine to secure it. Natsu looked like he'd just came out of the wringer. The only thing that actually looked like it might be a problem though was that it looked like the idiot go hit in the head with a bulldozer. "Should'a known he'd need my help in the end." I mumbled as Levy was finishing the last knot of his "bandage". "Don't get a big head just yet Gajeel, all you did was hold a leaf in place for a couple seconds." She responded with a grin. _She heard that?! Dang, this girl's got some ears…_ I thought.

That night we tried to talk to Lucy again at "dinner", which was really just a bunch of leaves that Levy apparently knew where safe to eat. "I read in this amazing book one time that fugalberry leaves are totally edible!" She had ranted to me earlier that day. I remembered how cute she was when she said fugalberry. I kept pretending I didn't hear what kind of leaf she was saying so that she'd repeat it. I couldn't help but grin a little while thinking about it. _Oh crap, I'm supposed to be trying to get Lucy to talk according to my orders by Levy._ "U-uuh so what happened today?" I asked tiredly. Levy shot me a glare that seemed to say 'Really?! I see you're trying the direct approach.' _Ok… so maybe try again then? _"I mean...you know… how're you feeling and all that?" I thought that was pretty heart-felt, but by the look Levy gave me and the lack of any response from Lucy… I'm thinkin' not so much…

Levy decided to take control then. "So, Natsu's head's ok, he should wake up by tomorrow." At this, Lucy's shoulders eased from their tense state as she took a deep breath. "Thanks you two." She looked up and smiled at us. Really?! If it was that easy Levy could've spoken up _before_ I made myself look like an idiot. "I know you guys are wondering what happened and all, I'll explain but can I wait 'till tomorrow so I can calm down a little? I'm just really shaken up and I just need to thi-" Lucy was cut off by Shrimp saying, "Of course, Lu-chan!" I decided to try and go get some rest as I realized after about 20 minutes of me sitting that this was obviously something a girl should handle. Plus, I felt like it wouldn't be a good time to mention, but those leaves Shrimp gathered where probably the most disgusting things i've ever tasted. I wish there any freaking iron out here! When exactly where we planning to stay at this place?! Surely we weren't gonna camp out in these woods for much longer! I mean I understand time to heal but it's been 4 days! How much longer do girls take to heal than guys?! I thought to myself. I found a spot underneath a tree with about 3 yards of dry ground thanks to a giant boulder in front of it but then, I saw none other the pink haired idiot who even while conked out managed to take up the entire dry area. I simply grunted and shoved him out of my way. "GAJEEL!" Levy yelled at me from over at the fire. _Wha-? Does she have the ears of a bat AND eyes in the back of her head?!I _I thought to myself. Without another word I shoved him back onto the dry ground and began to move somewhere else. Why is it that if anyone else tried to boss me around like Levy did, they'd never hear the end of it, yet whatever she says...I don't know I can't help it… I just do it.

Levy's P.O.V

_ What am I gonna do about Lucy? _I thought to myself. I felt so bad for her, but when she wouldn't talk to me there was no way I could help her! I was just gonna have to ignore my extreme curiosity until morning. We continued to talk until late that night, mostly just small talk. I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she was feeling better enough to crack a couple suggestive jokes about me and Gajeel. Either way, I was worried about her. Sure, I was worried about Natsu too, but there's nothing Natsu doesn't make it through. Everyone knew that, so why was Lucy so beat up about it? I was starting to wonder if maybe there was something other than simply Natsu being hurt that was bothering her. Something big obviously. But what?

**Tada! Hope you guys enjoyed! I know it was pretty random to shove Levy and Gajeel back into the story...but as I said in the beginning… I somehow managed in my hectic life to forget that they were in the story at all! Hahahaha sorry about that Nakama! Hope it didn't throw you guys off! Anyways, seeeeee ya later!**


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Ok, so sorry if any of you got ready for a new chapter here and saw this author's note instead! I just wanted to let you all know that the reason I haven't updated in almost 2 months is because I (of course) left my laptop at my friend's house who lives 1 hour away! So my mom took like 8 freaking years to finally let me get it back from her house. -_-

Anyways though, DON'T LOSE HOPE IN ME! I swear I'll update as soon as I can manage (what with me being extremely behind on homework)! I'm really sorry about making you guys wait so long!

PLEASE FORGIVE MEEHH!

but anyways...

HAPPY EASTER MINNA! LOVE YOU GUYSSS!


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey minna! I'm soooo so sorry about taking this long on this chapter! I know it's not a very long chapter and it's been SO long! I feel so bad about making you guys wait this long! I promise now that it's summer I'll be updating way, way more! I've just had so many things come up lately! I got wayyy behind in homework and then I got the worst writers block of all time! Anyways, Don't hate me, I love you ALL, review, and hope you enjoy this chapter! Also... again... SO SORRY! **

Natsu's P.O.V.

_Cold, soggy ground surrounded me, I felt it had soaked through my clothes just a bit. I began to scan my surrounding when I realized... I couldn't see. Everything was black. Not just regular black though, the kind of darkness where it seems that even if you had a source of light, it would be swallowed up in the shadows. Something about this darkness felt familiar. As I tried to remember the memory felt more and more distant. Then, without warning, a sharp pain pierced my forehead. It felt like a dart was thrown right in the center of my head and worst of all, I couldn't move. I suddenly felt as though I was bound to the ground, unable to move a muscle. An overwhelming desire to be freed from my restraints settled over me like a wet blanket as I struggled to draw a breathe. I began thrashing fiercely like a wild animal, willing to do anything to escape my binds. In an instant, I froze completely. Did I just hear something? I could hear something gradually growing louder and louder as if the sound were racing towards me. An icy cold, cackle was creeping closer to me. I couldn't see, but it seemed I didn't need to... it was in my head. The voice grew louder and louder until I finally heard it stop. A scratchy, weak voice seemed to whisper in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "It's far time for your leash, dragon slayer." _

I sat up with a jolt, shaking with fear and frantically looking around like a lost puppy. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings and realized I was covered in a sheen of cold sweat as I felt it drip down off my temple and on to my bare chest. Scanning my surroundings, I began to smell something in the air that made me feel instantly comforted. It seemed to make every ounce of fear, confusion, and... well what only be described as growing insanity, melt away until all that was left was a desire for the scent to be closer. The smell was hard to explain, like what you'd imagine to smell if you were in a large open meadow with oak trees and fields of wildflowers covering the earth. It was the smell of Lucy. When I recognized the smell, I put my thoughts of the terrifying words I'd just hurt in the back of my mind. _Lucy._

Lucy's P.O.V

I was couched on the ground beside a little fire roasting some strange mystery animal that I just hoped was edible. I looked up and squinted at the sun gleaming in my eyes. Glancing over to where Levy was asleep I smirked when I saw Gajeel about 30 feet away. Why did those idiot have to be so awkward? About a yard away from Levy there was the girl who took control of someone I care about. Yet, somehow, rather than looking at her and feeling anger beyond belief like I did when I first saw her after detaching herself from Natsu... I sort of just felt bad for her. She seemed to be forced into what she did. I made a split second decision to try and talk to her... maybe I could at least get some answers if nothing else.

The snow was finally melting, leaving the ground drenched in icy water. Little blades of grass were poking through the ground. I shivered as a gust of wind blew my hair out of my face. It was so tranquil here, and I would've been relaxed if it weren't for the fact that I had pretty much not stopped thinking about how Natsu might not ever wake up again. I may never see his cheesy smile again, and that broke my heart. I tried to act tough for Levy, but I think she knows anyways. I stood up and stretched my arms and legs and headed over to the mysterious silver haired girl. _I wonder if she'll even be willing to talk? It doesn't matter right now, she's going to talk. She hurt Natsu, and I need to know why. _

My thoughts were interrupted by some hurling mass ramming into me with such forced I was knocked to the ground. Instantly I pulled out my whip to strike my attacker who was on top of me when I saw a flash of pink spikey hair. My heart stopped as in front of me to see him. _Natsu. _He was awake, and here smiling at me. He began laughing his loud obnoxious laugh. God, I missed that laugh. "Sorry, Luce." He said while grinning like an idiot. "NATSU!" That was all I could say as he bear hugged me. Finally, once everything had sunk in I let out a cheek splitting smile, I didn't realize 'till now how long it had been since I'd smiled like that. When he released me from his embrace we looked at each others eyes for a moment. Suddenly, we realized he was literally on top of me while we hugged and our faces were like 2 inches apart. Blushing, he jumped up and laughed again. Even though it was awkward, I still couldn't stop smiling. He was awake, unhurt, and most importantly, himself again.

Suddenly, I had so many questions and I let them out in a slur of words. "Do you remember anything? How are you not hurt? Did you know when she took over your body? How did-" He cut me off by putting his hand over my mouth. Yep, Natsu was as rude as ever. "Woah, woah... who the _hell_ is the silver haired girl over there?" That one question answered a lot of mine. He doesn't remember anything. Or maybe he was unconsious the whole time? Nah, Natsu is way too stuborn for that... so what did happen to him in the time she had taken over him? How _long _was it her talking and not him? _Great, a couple questions answered, a thousand more to ask. _I thought while I simply looked at Natsu, ignoring his question while mirroring his confusion with my own. This is gonna take a while. Did I want answers? Of course, and I planned to get them, but for now, I'm just glad to have Natsu back. I remembered something my mom told me so long ago then. "You don't realize how much you love something... until you no longer have it." She was so right, when she told me I didn't think I'd ever need that knowledge. Now, I had him back though. And I'm never going to let him go again. Natsu, my best friend, my partner... my love.

**TADA! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you like it or have some suggestions to make it better don't be afraid to leave a review! Love you minna!**


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